A HEARTBROKEN couple who were able to spend a precious 48 hours with their stillborn daughter thanks to a ‘cuddle cot’ want to give the same opportunity to other grieving parents.

Amelia Grace Atkinson was born by natural birth at Glan Clwyd Hospital on June 18 2015, weighing 7lb 7oz.

Her parents, Vicki, 25, and Matt Atkinson, 28, of Rhyl, described her as "absolutely perfect" but tragically, Amelia wasn't breathing and was born 'sleeping'.

Three days earlier, on June 15, the beauty therapist had gone to the hospital with her father, Stephen Bird, to have a check-up.

Using a doppler ultrasound device, the midwife tried to find a heartbeat.

When she failed to detect one, Vicki, who was just over 38 weeks pregnant, was sent for a scan.

She was then scanned by a doctor, who subsequently went to get another doctor. It was then that Vicki heard the words “sorry, there is no heartbeat."

When Amelia was born, the couple were able to create memories thanks to the cuddle cot – a cooling system which looks like a conventional Moses basket that regulates the baby’s body temperature.

The experience sparked a determination in Vicki and Matt to give other parents the gift of a treasured goodbye to their baby and a fundraising drive has been launched in order to raise enough money to permanently install a ‘cuddle cot’ at Glan Clwyd Hospital.

Vicki, a former Rhyl High School pupil, said: “This is truly out greatest wish to give a cuddle cot gift to the hospital. The cot enabled us to feel like a family, with Amelia in a Moses basket rather than a plastic cot. It is a 48 hours we will never forget. Those cherished hours meant the world to us, not just myself and Matt, but our parents, siblings and closest friends.

“Ty Gobaith brought the cuddle cot to the hospital. Two wonderful women, Pam and Nicki, helped us dress Amelia and took her hand and footprints. We both spoke to Amelia, we told her how perfect she was and how much we loved her.”

A cuddle cot costs £1,600. Vicki and Matt, a credit controller and former pupil of Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan in Abergele, said the cot made their little girl look like look like she was just “fast asleep”.

Vicki added: “Before the ‘cuddle cot’ was in place, you could see where the oxygen flow had stopped by the colour of her skin, but after being in the cuddle cot, her skin became one tone which made taking photos a lot easier.”

Vicki said prior to June 15, her pregnancy had been “amazing” and all the previous scans had been fine.

"She was such a wrigley little one,” Vicki said. “We always said she would be a gymnast. She would let Matt know she was there by kicking and rolling all night. At one point she kicked Matt in the head whilst he had his head on my perfect 38 week bump.”

After being told the devastating news that day about their baby, Vicki was told that she needed to take to take a tablet to loosen her uterus and to go home for the following 36 hours.

The couple spent their last day waking along the prom in the “beaming sunshine” and then returned to hospital on June 17, where things started to move very fast.

Vicki said: “We had planned to send Amelia for a post mortem, but when she was born we were instantly faced with our answer. There was a true knot in her umbilical cord which had stopped her blood and oxygen flow.

“We were so glad we didn’t have to send her away. She remained our untouched sleeping beauty and we got to spend all our time with her.

“I think having a cuddle cot will mean everything to other grieving parents. At the time, we didn’t cope very well but when we looked back, we released that without the cuddle cot, we wouldn’t have as much time as we did without Amelia’s appearance deteriorating fast. It helped us remember her as the beautiful baby girl she was and always will be.”

Vicki and Matt will be doing a walk up Snowdon on June 17 to celebrate Amelia’s 3rd birthday, which is on the 18. At the peak, feathers will be released to remember Amelia and all other babies born sleeping.

To donate to the cuddle cot fundraiser to find out more about the walk up Snowdon - which is open to others - can visit www.gofundme.com/glan-clwyd-hospital-cuddle-cot